The Handmade Canberra Market has been certified with the Australian Made Campaign (AMCL) for a number of years. It is something our team is super proud of given the amazing work that the AMCL do for Australian small businesses, and how passionate we are about all things Australian Made. One of the most amazing initiatives AMCL host each year is ‘Australian Made Week’ and it’s goal is simple: To showcase as many of Australia’s very talented makers and designers through every (and we mean every!) available platform, inspiring the nation to recognise and actively support Australian businesses. As far as initiatives go, it’s a beauty, and definitely something the Handmade Market Canberra actively supports!
The benefits of the work AMCL do is clear when you consider that recent studies conducted by Roy Morgan show that 99% of Australians aged 18 and over are aware of the Australian Made Logo, making it the highest recognised certification mark within Australia. Furthermore, the study also showed that 93% of Australians reported feeling confident that the products they purchased that displayed the logo, were made or grown within Australia. It’s why makers and producers running small businesses opt to go through the certification process. The Logo helps consumers perceive their products to be of a high quality, safe to use, and reliable. The logo means something to Australian consumers.
Australian Made Week allows all of us to help the AMCL broaden it’s reach by actively taking part in helping to promote Australia’s wide and diverse range of mind-blowingly talented people making and producing high quality items right on our shores. Any steps we take to support this initiative, whether great or small, helps Australian small businesses to get in front of a wider audience and it is a fantastic way for you, as an avid supporter of Australian Made products, to connect with new makers and producers across our Nation.
If you’re new to supporting Australian made makers and producers and are wanting to know how to best support businesses certified with the AMCL during Australian Made Week, keep reading, as we have 4 easy ways to get you started!
Here are 4 ways YOU can help support small businesses certified with the AMCL this Australian Made Week:
1. Look for the Australian Made Logo when purchasing products
Australian businesses who are certified with the AMCL will carry the infamous AMCL Logo on all of the products they make. When you spot this logo, it lets you know with 100% certainty that the products you are purchasing have been subjected to a rigorous application process to ensure it meets the certification standards of the AMCL. We know this for sure, as the Handmade Markets went through this exact process to become certified, Australian Made Partner ourselves!
2. Know how to find businesses that are Certified with the AMCL
The Australian Made Campaign has made it ridiculously easy for consumers to locate retail outlets that are certified with the AMCL, by publishing a listing of retail outlets where you are able to buy Australian Made Products to their website. All businesses included in this list are guaranteed to be flying the “Support Australian Made” flag, selling products made by businesses with the AMCL certification. Of course, you’ll find a large number of the stallholders attending our markets are certified with the campaign, with most (if not all) proudly displaying the AMCL Logo on both their products and across their market stall display. Even if our stallholders aren’t certified, the Handmade market is, meaning you can guarantee that all products our stallholders are selling at their market stall have been made within our great Nation.
3. Write a Google Review for small businesses you have shopped with and loved
Taking time out of your day to write a quick Google review of a certified Australian made product or small business you love, is a great way to help the people behind those businesses rank higher in Google searches. Without getting nerdy on you here, simply put, positive reviews can skyrocket your favourite Australian Made businesses to the top of local Google search results, leading to more clicks through to their website and (hopefully!) a few extra sales. If you’ve attended one of the Handmade Canberra Markets, you might want to leave a Google Review for us to, you know, get you into practice of actively supporting businesses that are certified Australian Made!
4. Share your favourite small businesses online via social media
If you find an small business sporting the Australian Made Logo that you just love, love, LOVE, one of the single most important (and FREE!) things you can do is shout their names from the rooftops by liking, commenting and sharing their posts on social media. Tell your friends, neighbours and anyone else who will listen, just how great they are. During Australian Made Week, you can bet that those certified with the AMCL will be posting on their social media account frequently and flaunting that amazing AMCL logo to generate interest in the fantastic work the Australian Made Campaign does. How great would it be if you helped spread the word too!
If you are looking for more ways to support Australian businesses, whether they are certified with the campaign or not, you may enjoy reading our Why should you buy Australian Made blog post. Or if you are an maker or producer yourself, and wondering how you can have your products certified with the Australian Made Campaign, hop on over to their website to register your interest.